Quote:
Originally Posted by Guillaume
2030hp for the ultimate version of the Merlin, 75hp/l. That's LS territory 70 years earlier  |
It's also making that power at 3000RPM, along with a mountain of torque. HP/L isn't necessarily a good measure when talking about engines that big, since they're limited in their power output by the fact that they can't spin as fast (due to size). The top Merlins were making around 3600 ft-lb from 27 liters, which is 133 ft-lb/L. This is extremely good even for a modern forced-induction engine - it beats the GT-R and the MP4-12C, and it's comparable to the 911 turbo with overboost. Those turbo/supercharged WWII aircraft engines really were impressive in their output.
(Admittedly, it was running 130-145 octane, heavily leaded fuel)